Washing machine



@et 23 i923. L

B. E. LlTOT WASHING MACHINE Filed Oct: 2l. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l F I Ei- 1 F IE .2-

B. E LITT et 23 i923.

WASHING MACHINE Filed Oct. 2l. 1921 2 Sheesmsheet 2 To @ZM/)klom t may concern:

- citizen-oi the TJnited States, and a resident Patented ct. V23, 1923.

i l .Y n* wiss? BERNAED n. tiroir', or V,winirrnfsnune, rnnnsvnvnnrn.

Wasilla@ Messias f 'jnppiicetioii niefi'oeroberai, i921. fseriafi No; 509,355.'

Be" itr knownthat LBERNARD Ef. Li'ro'r, a

ofl VVillrinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in'lVasliing Machines, of which the following is a specif cation.

particularly to that type of machinesL in;

' manufacture, easy torepair, Vwhich contains` ai minimumnumber oflparts and which ist This invention relates to washing machines and mechanism for driving the same and which the cylinder containingV the clothes is alternately rotated inopposite directions,y

that is, in which the cylinder is rotated' a tewturns inpone direction and ,then acorresponding number of turns in the vopposite direction, or in which the 'cylinder'is merely oscillated back and forth;

The objects of the invention are to provide a machine `01E theoharacter referredr to whichV will Abe simple'V in construction, cheap to effective in operation.

Special objects ofV thel invention are to provide a machine which can be easilyad- 'justed to vary the number of turns of the cylinder in either direction, to prevent its being rotated even if thedriving Vmotor were started, or to cause me-re ocillations` thereof as is foundfdesirable. Y y

In the accompanying drawing illustrating an embodiment 'of the invention Fig. 1' is fa side elevation showing the washer together withthe driving` mechanism; Fig. 2 a simi'- lar view Vtaken at right angles to thatof Fig-1; Fig. 8 a transverse'sectionon enlarged scale showing the means Vfor .adjust-v` ing the driving'mechanism; F ig. 4 a view similar to Fig. p 1 illustrating amodiiicd form of the invention; Fig. 5 a fragmentary elevation of the same taken in a plane,y at right angles to that lof Fig. 4; and Fig. 'Sis a view correspondingv to Fig. 4; ofa stillfu-r.-`

ther modified form. w

In the/form shown in Figs. 1 to 3,1 represents the frame of the machine cornprising thelegs 2, cross members 3A4 ande and the angularly disposedjbrace 5. 1Attached to the fra-Ine in the usual manner is the tubi withinwhich is rotatably' mounted the Ycylinder 7 having lateral shaft 8. The

said shaftv projects through the tub and is `iournaledin the cross Vmember 3 and has attached to its outer end the pinion 9 for driving the cylinder.

suitably journaied in* a bearing" 1o "Supported by brace 5 isa stub shaft 11 'having fixedV to itsv outer end kthe driving gear 12.1 'i Y VVAttached to the kinner face of vthe hub of gear'12 is a beveled pinion 13`whicli meshes with a beveled pinion 14 fixed on thelower .Y

end of the shaft-15 suitably journaled in the trame as illustrated in Fig. 2 and is adapted tobe 'connected at its upper end to the mechanism for driving a wringer, not shown.

*They outer face/of gear 12 is provided with two :over-hanging flanges y16 and 17 which cooperate g tok form a radialguide slot. in which is slidably mounted a polygonal block or slide 19, that shown in thefdravvin'g being s square and itting'the-slot'lS suiiicie'ntly tight to preventV turningl movement thereoic 'yet permitting' 'the `same Yto ybe easily .moved lengthwise of theslot for apurposef` hereafter described. v

A bearing` pin '20 having a reduced threadedinner end is' mounted in a threaded bore provided in the block 19.` AI'shoulder" -21 formed on Vthe pin20 is adapted to bear against the outer ace'of theiianges 16- and 17 andthe pinfis screwed into the' slide 19 for the purpose of' rictionally binding the' pin in place, and in order thatthe pinmay be easilymanipulated the same is equipped with `aflrnurled head 22.V Interposed bef. tween the shoulder' 21 land' the lianges' 1G`and pointy of rackk 26l coincides with a radius of the gear. Thegear 12 may be driven by' anysuitable source 'of'powen preferably an electric motor, not shown, through the pinion indicated at 28.

`The operation of the device is as follows:

Power is supplied from any suitable source through pinion 28 to drive gear 12 which causes 'raclr`26 to reciprocate on account of its pivotal connection with bearing pin 20;L

L 17is al spacing washer 23 provided with anr i V,integrally formed pointer or finger 24 whichk rides over a graduated scale 25 yupon the i ico Reciprocation-of rack/26 rotates pinion9 and consequently the cylinder 7 inone direc# fb c.:

tion during a haltl revolution of the gear 12 and in the opposite direction during its remaining half revolution, the yoke 27 at all times accommodating itself to the varying positions of the rack and maintaining the same in mesh with pinion 9.

The number of revolutions that the pinion 9 will make in either directionV depends upon the extent of reciprocation ot rack 26 which in turn depends upon the eccentric setting of the bearing pin 2O vwith resp'ect to the gear 12. Byunscrewing thel pin 20 a slight distanceit can be moved togather with the'block 19 along the guide slot 18 andv positioned at any desired point and fixed thereat by tightening the shoulder 21 against the washer 23 and the flanges 16 c sequently the cylinder 7 will remain stay readily made.

stionary regardless of the fact that the driving, pinion. is rotating. If the pin 2O is set but a slight distance from the center of the gear 12, pinion 9 will not'be rotated a com-V plete revolution, thus effecting an oscillation of thecylinder 7..

The exact point at which the bearing pin musi; vbe set toelect` any desired numberl of revolutions of the cylinder lfor each stroke of rack 26 is indicated oni the; scale 25 yso that by `merely moving the pin 20 luntil thepointer 24 lies directly over the indicated point thereon any desired setting may be Sincethe movement ot rack 26 is harmonic.I that is gradually reaches Zero at. the Opposite ends of its stroke, the movement ofcylinder 7 isreversed smoothly without undue shocks or jars` so frequentlyv accompanying the operation of washing machines of this type, and thus eliminates the necessity of using special shock absorbing devices. This feature is found to be of great practical importance and materially reduces the f vcomplication and costcof construction.

In the form illustrated invFigs. 4 and l5,

i the stub shaft 11 is journaled higher up in is a connecting rod 35, the said sector meshing with the pinion 9 for driving the same. The pinion k13 and cross arms 30 are driven by power applied to the shaft 36 from any suitable source, a beveled pinion 37 at the end of said shaft meshing with pinion 3S on the lower end of the intermediate shaft 39 carrying beveled pinion 40 at its top which in turn meshes with pinion 13. The shafts 36 and 39 are journaled on the frame in any, convenient manner-such asin bearing lugs indicated at 41 and 42. v

- The modiiedform shown in Fig. 6 corresponds to that previously described except that the stub shaft carrying the cross arm 30 is journaled at the same height as the shaft 8 and pinion 9, and instead ot rotating the said pinion by means of a connecting rod and toothed sector, ythe same is driven by a rack bar 26 corresponding to the rack bar in Figs. 1 to'3.

In-the modification shown in Figs. 4 to 6 very'compact mechanisms are provided and ones in which power is transmitted from. the rotatable cross arm-in what may be termed a substantially straight line drive.

I claim: 1. An adjustable crank mechanism comprising a rotatable member provided with al radial slot in its face, a polygonal block in said slot, a bearing pin having a reduced inner end removably engaging the block and causing the shoulder formed between the reduced inner end and the enlargedv outer end to frictionally engageV the face of said member-to position the same. and a pivoted member attached to the said outer end.

2. An adjustable crank mechanism comprising a rotatable dischaving projecting` flanges on one acethereof to form a guideway, a block slidable therein provided with v a lthreaded bore, afloearing` pin'having a re-.

duced innerend threaded in the said borel and formingfa,shoulder` abuttingthe tace of.` the`disc to position the same, means yfor turning and adjusting the pin, and a pivoted membermountedon the said outer end. 3. An adjustable crank mechanism comprising a'rotatable disc, one face of saidy disc being provided` withl overhanging flanges which cooperate to form a radial guide slot, a block slidably adjustable therein, a bearing pin threaded'in the block and provided with an enlarged outer end forming a shoulder thereon, a washer having a pointer formed integrally therewith interposedk between the shoulder and the face of the guide slota graduated scale on the :said i face over which the pointer rides, and all pivoted member on said enlarged .outer end. In testimony whereof, I sign my name.

BERNARD ntrror. Witness: Y. i

EDWIN O. JOHNS. 

